Friday, June 10, 2011

Al Jazerra Covers NBA Finals

Paul Fadel, senior presenter and commentator for Al Jazeera, told me Tuesday night that the Miami-Dallas matchup marks a first for the international network: This is its first NBA Finals.

The Al Jazeera telecast is being shown in 55 countries in the Middle East , North Africa and southern Europe, Fadel said from his seat in the press box.

"It's a great place to be," Fadel said of Dallas, whose sizzling temperatures he compared to the weather in Al Jazeera's host country, Qatar.

Via Michael Granberry/Dallas Morning News

The NBA is big throughout the Al Jazeera broadcast territory, Fadel said, calling it "the second-most popular sport in the region after soccer." Al Jazeera's range includes Iran and the war zones of Afghanistan, Fadel said, as well as Pakistan and southern Russia.